Recovered (recovering) from anorexia--what has worked for you?
By ebeckhusen
@ebeckhusen (36)
United States
February 17, 2007 6:54pm CST
I am currently in a treatment program for anorexia and I was wondering if any of you out there have been in recovery for a while and could share what worked for you and what didn't.
3 responses
@1023180103 (1)
•
2 Aug 07
I underwent treatment as well. What worked for me was not the recovery process. Therapy, counseling, meal planning, etc. seemed to consume to much of my daily life. What really pulled me through was shifting the focus off myself to a bigger picture. Find something to hold your interest (even this is good; try to avoid cooking and things of the such if you feel it will be problematic). Always rely on a support group of friends and family. Lastly, go easy on yourself. You are doing great!
@ebeckhusen (36)
• United States
2 Aug 07
Well, since I posted my original post, I've graduated from treatment, and for me I've found that different things seem to work for different people. I do believe that what you said about looking at the bigger picture is very helpful, it always helps to have something else to consume your time and your thoughts, to keep them away from the obsessive/compulsive thoughts that come with an eating disorder. For me, though, I've found that therapy has really helped a lot, in fact I'm still seeing a therapist twice a week, though I'm not in a treatment program any more. The meal plan wasn't much of a help for me, I just worried too much about whether I was meeting it or not. I guess everyone is different though, so what works for one won't necessarily work for everyone.
@Pigglies (9329)
• United States
18 Feb 07
The first time I recovered, what worked for me was to see from a logical perspective, the harm I was doing. I talked to people who had fractured their hips in their 20s. I looked at graphic pictures. But that didn't scare me enough.
The second time, I had to find out what issues were behind the problem. Once I figured that out, I've been recovered (for over 2 years now).
@ebeckhusen (36)
• United States
18 Feb 07
Congrats on your 2 years! I think that it's never enough to know the health risks, because it is sort of easy to rationalize and say "well, that won't happen to me, I know what I'm doing." I think what you said about looking at the issues behind it is one of the key things if you want to recover. I know my program is always reminding us that "it's not about the food".
@eden32 (3973)
• United States
6 Aug 07
I have nearly 20 years in recovery for bulimia, with a handful of very short relapses/episodes over those years.
For me bulimia was one symptom of having been sexually abused as a child. It wasn't until I addressed that issue that I was able to resolve the eating disorder. I was in treatment for the eating disorder and faked my way through to get out & get back to binging & purging as soon as I could. Once I recognized & acknowledged that this lead to that, then I could begin to get well.
